Language(s): Middle English with Latin
(fols. 1r–76r)
Thomas Hoccleve,
De regimine principum Incipit: Knyȝthood a wake þou slepist to longe |Thi brother see nowe ny deed for mischeef
Explicit: To þee þat al saist of loues feruence |That knowith he whom no þing is hid fro
Lines 1-896 wanting due to loss of quires at the beginning.
Final rubric: Explicit Egidius de Regimine Principum
DIMEV 3581 (fols. 76r–83v)
Thomas Hoccleve,
Complaint Incipit: Aftir þat heruest Inned had hise sheues |And that the groun sesoun of Mihelmesse
Explicit: I braste once⸝ on þe morede⸝ and þus began.
Final rubric: Here endith my prolog⹎ and folwith my compleinte.
Incipit: Almyȝty god⸝ as liketh his goodnesse
Explicit: And thi ȝistis and benefices alle |And vn to thi mercy and grace I calle
DIMEV 235 (fols. 83v–98r)
Thomas Hoccleve,
Dialogus cum amico Incipit: And endid my compleinte in this manere |Don knockid at my chaumbre dore sore
Explicit: Wole I translate and that my gifte I hope |Shal pourge as clene as keuerchiefs dooþ sope
Final rubric: Explicit dialogus & incipit quedam fabula quadam bona & nobili Imperatrice Romana
DIMEV 508 (fols. 98v–116r)
Thomas Hoccleve,
Tale of the Emperor Gerelaus Incipit: In romain actis writen is thus |Somtime an emperour in the citee
Explicit: And to in this wise and manere it seith |Wiche to that tale is good be knytte in feith
Final rubric: here endith þe Prolog and begynneþ þe moralizing of þe (remainder under the binding)
Ends imperfectly due to loss of folios.
DIMEV 2621 (fols. 117r–133r)
Thomas Hoccleve,
Ars sciendi mori Incipit: Nowe herkene a doctrine substancial |ffirste howe lerne to die telle wole I
Explicit: That it may haue þe lyf þat hath noon ende
Final rubric: Here endith to lerne to die⸝ And bigynneth a prolog on þe ixᵉ leson þat is redde on alle halwen day
Missing stanzas 1–3.
DIMEV 4879 (fol. 133r)
Incipit: To oþer þre partes⸝ edich in þe book
Explicit: That for to comprehende þat gladnesse |Verrely no wit may ne tounge expresse
(fols. 133v–134v)
Incipit: Lo þus is seid of þat citee in a place
Prose translation of the ninth lesson at matins for All Saints’ Day.
(fols. 134v–148r)
Thomas Hoccleve,
Tale of Jonathas (fols. 134v–136r)
Prologue
Rubric: Here bigynneþ þe prologe of the tale of Ionatas
Incipit: This book to han endid had I thouȝt |But my frende made me chaunge my cast
Explicit: The copie on þe morede sente he me |And þus I wroot as ȝe may here see
Final rubric: Here endith the Prolog and bygynneth the tale
DIMEV 5663 (fols. 136r–146v)
Incipit: SOmtyme an Emperour⸝ prudent and wys |Regned in Rome⸝ and hadde sones thre
Explicit: His lyf he ledde⸝ yn to his dyng day |And so god us graunte⸝ þat we do may.
Final rubric: Here endiþ þe tale of Ionatas⹎ & of a wickid womman and bigynneth þe moralising ther of.
DIMEV 6529 (fols. 146v–148r)
Incipit: This Emperour above expressid. is oure lorde god þat hath .iii. sones
Explicit: þe kyngdom of hevene To wiche god bringe vs alle. Amen. Amen. Amen.
(fols. 148r–158v)
John Lydgate,
The Dance of Macabre Incipit: O ȝee folkes harde hertid as a stone |Wich to þe worlde haue al ȝour aduertence
Explicit: Of her tunge I haue no suffisaunce |Her corious metris in englisshe to translate
Final rubric: Here endith the daunce of deeth
DIMEV 4107 Items added in a later hand, third quarter of the 15th century.
(fols. 158v)
A Dialogue between Death and the Lady Incipit: Let se your hand my ladi dam emperys |Haue no disdeine with me for to dame
Explicit: Raunson keurede frendschip nor vordines |Deth is on my hy estate to assayle
DIMEV 3063 (fols. 159v)
Erthe upon Erthe Incipit: Erthe apon erthe wonderly wroth |Erthe apon erthe hath worschyp of noþch
Explicit: Now pray we god þat al erth wrowth |þat erth owt of erth to blys myth be browth
DIMEV 1170 Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: ii (modern paper flyleaves) + 158 + 1 (medieval flyleaf) + ii (paper flyleaves, foliated 160 and 161) leaves
Dimensions (leaf): 253 × 188 mm.
Foliation: Modern foliation.
Collation
Bound mainly in gatherings of 8. Signatures in the lower margin on line for catchwords, upper case letters plus Roman numerals, in red ink: first half of quire, beginning C.i. on fol. 1 and continuing through 'Z' for last quire. Catchwords in black ink, by scribe, in line ruled for them.
Layout
Written in long lines, c. 33 per page. Ruled with five vertical guidelines: two enclosing Latin glosses in the outer margin and three for the text column, with a narrow double at left side of the text column to enclose an initial letter of first line of each stanza. Fourteen horizontal guidelines: two for a running title (not executed), two for the first line of each of four stanzas; a double below last stanza, and a double in lower margin for catchwords, all running to edge of page. Ruling within text column. Written area 175 × 85–90 mm.
Decoration
Marginal headings in red, written by the scribe.
Fine miniature depicting a man on his deathbed with attending priest and approaching skeleton (fol. 118r).
Texts begin with 4-line pink and blue parti-coloured initials highlighted in white on solid gold ground, with a foliage pattern in the centre of the letter; at the edges, gold ground leading to sprays with green leaves and blue, red, and gold balls.
Smaller two-line blue lombard initials, red pen-work flourishing; one-line blue initials with red pen-work flourishing.
Blue paraphs with red penwork decoration in prose sections
Marginal scribbles, fol. 91v. (Pächt and Alexander iii. 888, pl. LXXXIV)
Binding
Brown tanned calf over laminated pulpboard.
Origin: 15th century, second quarter ;
English Provenance and Acquisition
‘Richard Burnett’ (inscription, 16th century): evidently responsible for marginal annotion after fol. 83r.
John Selden (1584–1654)
Acquired by the Bodleian in 1659
